Becky Lynch has paid an emotional tribute to John Cena ahead of his impending WWE exit, while also giving an update on her status after hinting at her own retirement.
After dominating the wrestling ring for decades, legend Cena will finally bring down the curtain on his career in 2025.
He confirmed earlier this summer that he’ll embark on a farewell run in the company across next year, aiming to feature at all of WWE’s top events.
It’s expected he’ll feature at Royal Rumble in January and have a starring role at would be his final WrestleMania in Vegas.
Also likely is that Cena will use the platform to help other stars shine, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker recently the latest in a long list of names to challenge the veteran to a match.
That Cena would demonstrate such selflessness in his final WWE matches speaks to the measure of the man, according to Lynch, who hailed him as a ‘great human’ in a recent interview.
The Man, herself a multi-time world champion, spoke in glowing terms of Cena on Julian Edelman’s Games with Names, saying: “John has just done everything fantastically well.
“He’s handled his wrestling career with such class, and now his acting career. Everything he does just turns to gold.
“He’s such a great human being… he thinks deeply about things and is always there if you need advice or whatever else.
“He just has time for people. He’s an all-around good dude.”
Cena’s dramatic announcement created a huge buzz around the world and Lynch, too, sparked chatter amongst fans who believed she’d announced her own retirement on social media recently.
In a reflective post on Instagram referencing an A&E documentary on her career, the Irish star said: “It’s been a helluva career.
“Being the Man for all of you was an honor, being the mom for her is a privilege. Thanks for watching my bio on @AETV.”
The post, even liked by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, generated instant questions from fans clamouring to know whether she was hanging up her boots.
While she stopped short of confirming whether or not she’ll wrestle again, she did dampen retirement talk a little in the interview with Edelman, saying she was ‘taking a little more time.’
She went on to say: “Everything is great. I have my wonderful little family. I have many options on the table.
“For the first time in a long time, [I] get to take a breath to appreciate everything.
“When you’re on the road 52 weeks a year, non-stop, going from town to town to town, and in the last three years, I added to the chaos by having a daughter who I would bring everywhere with me. On top of that, I decided it would be good to write my biography.
“For the last year or two, it was pure chaos. Now, I’m taking a little bit more time. I’m taking a breath. Getting to look around the world. Getting to look at what I created and evaluate everything.
“It’s been wonderful.”
37-year-old Lynch has been a constant figure in WWE across the last 11 years but hasn’t wrestled since a brace of title matches against Liv Morgan in May.
She has previously been a seven-time world champion and won the 2019 Royal Rumble.